On November 8, 2013, the Category 5 “Super” Typhoon Haiyan (known as Yolanda in the local context) made landfall in the Philippines and caused widespread destruction as it moved through the central region of the country. It damaged approximately 1.1 million homes and affected 14.4 million people, the majority of whom live in the Samar and Leyte Provinces. Soon thereafter, The DLA Piper Foundation provided a generous donation of more than $43,000 to Global Communities to begin early recovery activities in Samar Province.

Global Communities’ program focused on restoring basic shelter and livelihoods in the weeks and months directly following the typhoon.

Our local partner, Eva Marie Arts and Crafts, is based in Basey, Samar Province and creates a wide range of products for export to the US, Europe and Australia. This innovative small to medium enterprise (SME) has developed a sophisticated system which outsources much of its production to local artisans. These artisans are mainly women working from their homes in an area with few economic opportunities besides fishing, and other small-scale income-generating activities.

Assistance to these skilled workers to repair their homes and resume production addressed a critical need and helped facilitate the rapid resumption of business operations. By helping to maintain Eva Marie Arts and Crafts’ market share and the livelihoods of their local suppliers, the program was able to benefit the overall community. In addition to providing aid to artisans in Samar, the rapid response, short term project also assisted local fishermen in the region.